Autonomy came into being at a specific historical juncture to do a particular job. The idea denoted the separation of the moral and political will from that of the church and the modes of political authority. This means that the idea of autonomy was related to the environment in which the assertion was being made and hence should be treated as such.

The real world, while he was able to see historical progress in a new way and thus see new developments such as surplus value and worker alienation.In examining his four-fold theory of alienation, Marx establishes the legitimacy of his arguments by stating that communism is not an over-intellectualized or abstract process, but a real phenomenon based on the real world and real events, such as the capitalist labor process as he sees it. He supplies these events throughout his text in the form

In the capitalist system, the worker lost control over these conditions. It is not only the case that he loses control over the conditions of production, but the control over those very conditions reach in the hands of forces hostile to them such as capitalist and their machineries. As a result of this, the worker becomes forced to work and this takes away his freedom to work creatively. Thus creative work gives way for forced-work. Another condition which emerged after the industrial

He also suggests that humans should treat humanity as an end to itself and never merely as a means to their ends. This implies that humans should perceive their race as having the ability to accomplish many different issues. They should not treat humans as a means to satisfying their needs but rather as a means through which they can achieve their targets (Kant, p. Finally, the philosopher suggests that humans should act as though they are members in the kingdom of ends in which they are

The crux of his argument is that the categorical imperative, which is the fundamental principle of morality, is in essence the law of an autonomous will. Such morality requires a conception of reason, which in normal daily lives goes well beyond our basic desires. In these arguments, Kant sets out to establish the foundational principle of a set of morals. What he is trying to show is that this foundational moral principle draws from a rational will in all of us, and it is this rational will

When we love others, we get satisfied by their happiness although this costs us nothing. Although we cannot pay back for all kindness, we should not run away from our obligation to gratitude. Even without an act, the benefactor is entitled to a heartfelt benevolence.Kant notes that we should actively sympathize with the fate of others, for example, by seeking out and helping the poor and the sick instead of sympathizing with them while avoiding the residences of very poor people or shunning

In the above case it is assumed that the action fully reflects the personal perceptions and emotions of the individual involved. In other words, when the freedom of will of the individual is absolute, the relation between cause and emotions is quite limited, almost non-existent. In the above case, emotions have absolute power on a person’s will, setting the criteria on which the actions of the individual are based.Kant explains that the above form of freedom cannot exist in practice since it

According to these claims therefore, the beauty of a flower is just one of its properties and the manner in which it is received and experienced by different people varies in accordance to the perception which emanates from their senses. Therefore the satisfaction that is achieved by the smell of the flower is not accommodative of the different tastes among different people because of the following reasons. Firstly, the experiences of people vary which influences the manner in which they

The utilitarians act in a manner to maximize utility or happiness. This means that everybody is morally responsible for whatever they do and should hence act in a way that will increase happiness. According to Kant, this theory is so demanding. It will lead to people putting a lot of efforts just to achieve the end results, and this would mean sacrificing so much; to the extent of sacrificing own happiness in order to please the large number of people. This, in itself is devaluing the persons

He seeks to provide critical tools for use in certifying certain actions as moral by basing them measuring them against consequences and motives. According to his position, actions can only be described as moral if indeed some specific moral laws motivated them. As such, actions that appear as moral but which were caused by some instinct or desire cannot be qualified as moral actions. The motivating principle that underpins moral actions must be the moral law, which according to Kant has a

Kant also highlighted that actions motivated by duty exhibited moral worth. He placed emphasis on the need for actions to depict a sense of moral worth (49). Moreover, Kant explained the value of dignity towards human beings. He emphasized that it is critical for the people to act in ways that exhibit the dignity for others.Kant embarked on defining the universal laws that define the duty of making morally worth decisions. He did so in his categorical imperative formulation of the universal

Since ethics is based on the mind of an individual, therefore, knowledge may be refuted by the idea of ethics. Ethics may be based on beliefs or religion or may be raised through our own experience. In order to list things as facts, there may not be a written formula booklet of ethics. Since ethics is created and related to the time we live now, therefore, it is not highly related to the past.An area of knowledge that studies the recorded past is referred to as history. Understanding of human

Its innate nature baffles the thinkers. Directly or indirectly, it is the mind that makes an individual different from other beings, whether living or non-living, sentient or insentient. What is there in the mind that makes one different from others? Human mind being a consciously thinking machine, this difference is the result of variations at the level of thinking ability and reasoning power.The true nature of an individual is Pure Consciousness which is the same everywhere. All possible

Presence of the very self-controlling reason in every individual is what according to Kant offers a decisive platform for considering each of equal respect and equal worth.In the case under consideration, Kant’s moral theory would give different suggestions to John depending upon the financial status of his family. If John wants to get rid of a car, and his family is in need of money, Kant would suggest him to give the money to his family. On the other hand, if John’s family is rich enough

This can be better explained by looking at a scenario where one is supposed to do or to make a critical judgement say regarding his life or the wellbeing of the society.In such a case it will be prudent to be driven by reason to ensure that the decision that one makes is the best in reflecting and addressing the needs of the people and also the individual. In this work, Kant is able to address a fundamental argument that is critical in understanding the way human beings make their decisions and

Kant might point out that a person who lives in a civilized society must never break rules and regulations which are thought to guide lives of the citizens. That is why the decision not to escape prison is already seen as a moral action by Kant.Crito, the person who came to save Socrates, thinks that the latter is afraid of the negative consequences that his escape will have on this friends (Plato 90). While the philosopher admits that he does cares about his friends and their future, he points

Sublime and beautiful tend to agree at some point, especially when each concept tries to justify itself and when presupposing a judgment of sense or logically determined judgment. Thus, it follows that, delight depends upon indeterminate reference, but not sensation and definite concept. Consequently, beautiful is nature of an object and it is limited by some factors; whereas, sublime can be found on an object regardless of its nature provided that it provokes limitlessness. Accordingly,

He further alludes that when one chooses to have an authentic faith, there is an abandonment of reason. He maintained that faith is higher than reason since reason has limits while faith begins where those limits of reason end (Kierkegaard 16). This choice of faith is, therefore, not a one-time thing but a process. One must make steady and continuous movements of faith, repeatedly and constantly re-choose to forsake reason and totally believe in the impossible. This view asserts that

Needs for other products originate only when people see and observe other people using and enjoying them. Thus, it is the cultural environment that creates desire and so Hayek does not agree with Galbraith’s theory that demands are not urgent if they are not inherent as this theory invalidates the “whole cultural achievement of man” (Hayek, 1). Moreover, Hayek believes that hardly any demands are absolute and all demands are “acquired tastes” since demand for most goods “produce